Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - In a small room tucked away inside Russell Hall, University of Wisconsin-Platteville professor Mike Compton examines an array of vials and jars. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of specimens in these containers, and any one could hold that right combination of factors he is searching for.

Compton wants to develop the best methods to propagate lady slipper orchids. It's one of a number of research experiments the horticulture professor is involved with, and one of the reasons he has won the 2004-05 Abughalous Award for Excellence in Scholarly Research.

The Abughalous Award is named in honor of the late Professor Mansour Abughalous, a dedicated mathematics teacher and scholar. The award is bestowed each year on a UWP faculty or academic staff member who has demonstrated outstanding career achievement in research.

Compton has wanted to improve orchid methods since 1999, when - armed with only five plant buds - he began studying the propagation of the flower at his home. From seed, the lady slipper orchid takes years to grow and flower. By cloning the seed embryo, Compton hopes to cut down on propagation time. Cloned plants have benefits too in that plant quality can be assured; theoretically, cloned plants should be genetically identical to the parent plant.

Over five years, Compton has learned a lot, but the research is not yet complete.

"I'd like the rooting to be faster, and I'd like to prove that the plants are identical," he said. "We have some results, some opportunities for patents. We have some things that look publishable."

Compton was attracted to the lady slipper orchid because the research up to this point on the species presented opportunities for development.

"There's not that many people doing research on orchids, and most of it is in Asia," he said.

Compton is involved in many other research projects, including several conducted by his students in the ornamental horticulture program.

"I enjoy doing research, whether it's just myself or with students. We have a couple of students that do independent studies each year," Compton said. "I get them started, then they have to keep a log of what they do. I look at it, and help them if they have problems."

Some students have had their findings published in academic journals as well. The end result is more learning for students.

"This gives us better knowledge. Being involved in this research, I get it into my classes," Compton said.

Compton received his bachelor's and master's degrees in plant and soil science from Southern Illinois University, and earned his doctoral degree in horticulture from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His previous position was as a research associate at the University of Florida's research center in Leesburg, Fla. He has had dozens of his research papers, scientific articles and abstracts published in books, professional journals and other refereed publications, and has evaluated manuscripts for HortScience, Scientia Horticulturae and the Journal of American Society for Horticulture Science, among others.

Soon after Compton joined the UWP faculty in 1995, he helped transform the horticulture program. Available then only as a minor for agriculture and biology students, ornamental horticulture became a full major in 1999.

"It took four years of planning and preparation," said Compton, who noted there were only seven students minoring in horticulture when he came to the university in 1995. Now, there are more than 40 students majoring in ornamental horticulture.

The field studies ornamental plants such as flowers and shrubs, and emphasizes greenhouse work and landscape design, as well as the study of turf grasses, such as those grown on athletic fields, public parks and golf courses.

Compton said that 70 percent of the occupations in horticulture have an ornamental aspect to them.

In 2002, the program benefited from the new Pioneer Greenhouse complex, which was built on the south side of campus near Pioneer stadium.

"We have twice as much space now," Compton said. "When you look at the kind of growing conditions we have, it's really a nice facility."

And Platteville presents unique research opportunities. Compton said there is an expectation for professors to continually produce useful research results at larger, more research-oriented universities. Ironically, his orchid research would not be possible in this setting because the research takes so long to bear fruit.

"Being at UW-Platteville, not having that pressure, I can be more patient and take on projects that are more challenging, maybe have less likelihood of success," he said.

But Compton is confident he will succeed with his lady slipper orchid research.

"It's a challenge. It takes about a year for them to get up and going. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work," he said. "I feel everything has the potential to work. It's just finding the right combination."